NHL Average Attendance Up; Blackhawks Up 22%

The United Center will be ready to go on Thursday against the Flames.

The 2008-2009 NHL regular season is in the books. Coming up this week; final attendance updates across the board in all the categories, so stay tuned while we all wait for Wednesday.

Chicago, Colorado, New York Islanders, and Philadelphia all wrapped up the season last night at home, as they round out their averages and the NHL final average. To the chart (click to enlarge):



The NHL bumped up almost a percent from their all-time average attendance high last season, which is great. Chicago's revival is very evident in the standings as in the seats, with a 22% increase; 40% over two seasons (NOTE: As far as I know, the Winter Classic home game for the Blackhawks counted as a sold out United Center crowd of 20,500. That is what I recorded it as). And as much as the Islanders are on the other end of the spectrum, they are up in attendance this year and if they land there man in John Tavares, the Nassau Coliseum might be rockin' a little bit more next season.



Can the NHL average climb higher next season? Possibly, I would bet right now. If teams like Colorado, Florida, Tampa Bay, and Dallas can turn around their on-ice product, they could easily benefit by gaining back some of their fair-weathered fans.

More later.

The Monday Memo (2 PM Update)

News and Notes from around the Business World of Hockey.

- The Carolina Hurricanes clinched a playoff spot Saturday night, which means playoff tickets will go on sale Tuesday at noon to the public (Bizjournals).

- The Blue Jackets neared there all-time TV Ratings record last Tuesday, drawing a 3.9 with their win over the Predators on FS Ohio (Sports Media Watch). The Blackhawks ratings are surging as well, reaching a high of 2.1 on CSN Chicago with their win on Friday, March 27th against the Devils.

- It seems like a slow day business-wise, but two teams have finished their home-game schedules, which means fresh attendance statistics are in. For now, until the off season, I'm going to keep it simple with this table (click to enlarge):



As you can see, Dallas and Washington are the two teams that have no more home games for the remaining week of the regular season. If I had to describe Dallas' season this year in one word, it would be disappointment. They dropped almost 2% from their average attendance last year, which had risen every season since the lockout. If Dallas had played to their potential this season, they could have neared pre-lockout highs of an average of 18,532.

Washington, on the other hand, might have made the biggest improvement in the league. Up nearly 15% from last season and over 23% from two years ago, the Capitals are the face of the "New NHL" and Ted Leonsis has to be smiling ear to ear. Next season the Caps will have people on a waiting list for season tickets for the first time, so I expect this trend to continue, but just not at such a huge rate like 15% (the Verizon Center capacity is 18,277).

EDIT: All figures that do not have the differences next to them like Washington and Dallas are figures as of today. Those teams all have home games left, which is why I have not calculated the differences yet.

- Finally, don't mess with Eric Lindros' lucky jersey:



That is all for now, more later.

- Update, 2:00 PM EST:

- More TV Ratings news, as NBC's Game of the Week between the Wild and the Red Wings drew a 0.9/2 overnight (Puck The Media). The Blackhawks/Red Wings game from the same weekend drew a 0.6, so the 0.9 is actually an improvement.

- Are the Dallas Stars in serious financial trouble? (Globe and Mail):

"Even though Stars owner Tom Hicks went into default on $525-million (all currency U.S.) in loans, the NHL claims it is not worried about the future of the team. Hicks said there is no chance his sports teams — the Stars and baseball's Texas Rangers — will be taken over by creditors."

The Wednesday Memo

News and Notes from around the Business World of Hockey...

- NBC has chosen two Red Wings games to finish out the season in the Game of the Week series (Puck The Media). The Wild visit the Wings on Sunday, April 5 followed by the Wings going to Chicago on Sunday, April 12.

- James Mirtle posts four parts of a five part series that has been running in The Globe that takes a look at Junior hockey in Canada (From The Rink). Part 3 ("No longer a mom and pop business") and Part 4 ("When a career reaches a crossroads") are very much business-oriented and the whole series is worth a read if you have a bunch of time to kill.

- The Winnipeg Free Press took a look at the possibility of relocating to Kansas City for the NHL last week, and here is the response from a local KC blogger who keeps an eye on all things involving KC and the NHL.

- Finally, Peter Forsberg apparently struggles with lamps:



Also, this week I'm on break so I apologize for only one post a day but I'm doing the best to enjoy my break at home. Thanks for reading as always.

The Thursday Memo (Noon Update)

News and Notes from around the Business World of Hockey...

- Through 32 games, the Predators are averaging 13,940 paid tickets per game, a 7.6% gain since the same mark last season (Tennessean). Let's remember though, it is under the magic 14,000 revenue-sharing bar for this season.

- More news on the Lighthouse Project as a public information session has been scheduled along with a long post on possible stimulus money for the project. (Let There Be Light(house)).

- NHL GM's are worried about contracts that run into the 2010-2011 season due to the economy (NHL.com):

"We've very leery of contracts that run into the 2010-11 season. We think it's going to be very tough," said Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke. "I think we'd be delusional to think we'd not see some impact (from the poor economy)."

- The Atlanta Thrashers introduce a new ticket plan; the Thrashers Man Plan (Thrashers.com).
You get one ticket, unlimited hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, and soft pretzels along with a chance to meet and greet with members of the blue crew; better known as the Thrashers Ice Girls.

- Finally, I'm sure you've all seen this NHL promo involving players on a road trip (very accurate, if you ask me), but seeing as this will be my only post because today is the day before my spring break starts, I found it fitting:



- Update, Noon:

- The Chicago Blackhawks have been announced that season ticket prices from this season will not increase next season (NHL.com).

NHL Plans European Vacation Again

During HNIC's Hotstove segment last night, CBC's Scott Morrison reported the NHL is planning 3 games in Europe for the '09-'10 NHL Premier. The NHL's European tour will come back to Czech Republic in Prague, along with again visiting Sweden in Stockholm. The third and new city to host the two weekend games as of right now is Helsinki, Finland.

The tentative plan right now is to send Calgary and San Jose to Helsinki, Detroit and St. Louis to Stockholm, and finally Chicago and Florida in Prague. Morrison noted that these are all preliminary plans though, because the teams (especially Detroit, according to him) still have to satisfy their ticket sales needs.

As I've stated before around here, I'm for the NHL kicking off the season in Europe. Yes, there are some downfalls such as less home games for the loving fanbases over here and some tough logistics for the teams that travel; but I thought the NHL handled the scheduling well with this seasons premier. I'm for all of this because the Premier allows the league and the game to shine on an international level, which will always help the league.

That might be all for today, as I have some serious school-work. So if not enjoy your Sunday.

Sens put Fans First, more NHL v. NBA Attendance

Busy day for me today as I work the Hockey games up here starting at 3 PM, so this will be my only post today.

The Senators announced yesterday that they are starting a program called Sens Fans First; where 10,000 Value-Priced tickets will be available to children over the rest of this season and will continue into the '09-'10 season. On a smaller note, the final five Saturday home game practices will be open to the public under the Esso Gameday Experience.

There are 13 home regular-season games left for the Sens, which means 500-1,000 tickets will be available for the plan for each game for $20 Canadian, this includes a hot dog and drink in what is being called the Future Fans pack which is focused on the kids. Parents who will be bringing the kids to the game under this deal also get a cut as well, with their tickets being priced at $29 Canadian.

Finally, the Sens have more plans, this time for their season-ticket holders. The rest of the Sens Fans First campaign will be announced next week.

What to take of all this? Well, the Sens are the first Canadian team to really make a public showing of cutting ticket prices and providing deals in this economy. I like the idea, as the Senators have struggled all season and this will ensure that their attendance average and capacity don't suffer too hard. Plus, what I really like about this, is the focus on offering affordable tickets to children. I've always been a proponent of the NHL focusing their marketing on kids, as they are the future fans of the sport. Plus, if a kid has a great time at a game, they will always want to go back, and mom and dad will break out the wallet eventually.

Moving on...

Via my Team Marketing Report Weekly email, a nice story was put together by Dan Bulla, which focuses on the immense success thus far at the gate for the Chicago Blackhawks, and continues to compare some NHL and NBA attendance figures. We all know the Hawks are doing great, and are actually outdrawing the Bulls, but what really interested me in the story was this paragraph:

But the success even goes beyond the Capitals and Blackhawks. Looking across the league, the NHL’s numbers this year have been particularly strong, especially when seen alongside the NBA. There are 10 venues that host both NBA and NHL teams in North America—and since the Staples Center holds the Lakers, Clippers, and Kings, there are 11 solid NBA/NHL comparisons. If we look at the average percentage of capacity filled per game in each of those 11 instances during the 2008-09 season, the NHL is outdrawing the NBA in 7 of the 11.

With this information stated, I went on the research offensive. Below is an expansion of what Bulla states, that the NHL is outdrawing the NBA in 7 out of 11 shared venues between the leagues in attendance capacity. All figures from the respective NHL and NBA attendance charts from ESPN.


As you can see, the NHL is directly winning in 5 out of 8 markets as noted by the highlighter. The Kings are outdrawing the Clippers, but not the infamous Lakers, so that moves our count up to 6. In Denver, although the Nuggets are technically winning by a slight margin, I call for a tie because of the major number of 87 % being the majority. So, the NHL is outdrawing the NBA in 6 out of 10 markets where NHL and NBA teams share an Arena. Not bad at all.

Bulla raises one final question at the end of his article. He mentions that the NHL was in a similar position back in the mid-'90s where they were challenging the NBA for the #3 spot in the big four ranking (Above is the cover from a spring of '94 issue of Sports Illustrated; any NHL diehard remembers it). He doesn't give his prediction, but he says that it is closer than many NBA fans, and ESPN, would like to think.

That's all for today, I'll see if I can get one in tomorrow before I hit up another day of work, but if not check back Sunday afternoon. Thanks for reading, as always.

Winter Classic Beats All Bowls in Chicago...

Mirtle put this up around 1 PM, courtesy of the local NBC affiliate in Chicago...



Well that sure is interesting...

As one comment pointed out, this doesn't mean more people were watching hockey than football:

This was my first thought upon seeing that chart, and just in case anyone else was wondering, too:
Winter Classic—11.8
All the bowl games—29.4.

But hey, it still won the individual race, right? Well at least in Chicago it did.

Maybe more later...

Catching up on Old News...

First things first: the 2nd Winter Classic.

40,818 Blackhawk, Red Wing, and hockey fans packed the friendly confines at Wrigley New Years Day for the Noon start. It was a great spectacle indeed.

The game counted as a sellout home game (20,500) for the Hawks, their 18th of the season. I doubt that the figure included the packed rooftops around Wrigley, but I doubt it did. All in all, what else can I say about the event that already hasn't been said? It was a success in so many ways, and I look for it to come back annually for at least the next 3 years.

Puck the Media reported the top 10 markets for the television ratings of the classic. The game earned a 2.9 overnight, the highest regular-season rating in 13 years.

Top 10 Metered Markets:
1. Chicago 11.8/21
2. Detroit 10.5/20
3. Buffalo 10.1/20
4. St. Louis 5.3/10
5. Pittsburgh 4.4/8
6. Denver 4.2/10
7. Providence 3.5/7
8. Indianapolis 3.4/6
9. West Palm Beach 3.3/6
10. Orlando 3.2/5

St. Louis is really turning into a hockey town these days... With the Blues selling out 16 of their so far 21 home games, they are enjoying great success everywhere but on the ice; where the team is in last place in the west. They are a young team, and the fans dedication will pay off in the coming years. You also gotta love the last 4. No doubt all the transplanted hockey fans in Florida were tuned in, but Providence and Indianapolis?

Providence is home to the Providence Bruins, Boston's AHL counterpart. They enjoy relatively good success for the AHL, ranking 10th in Attendance and averaging 5,206 a night at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence (11,000 Capacity). As for Indianapolis, I'm not sure what the big draw to outdoors hockey exactly was.

Other than that, a great review of the classic was done by Greg Wyshynski over at Puck Daddy.

Moving on...

Puck the Media had another great piece on Friday, lending some suggestions to the NHL Network on how to step it up (this a day after the MLB Network launched, which has been given great reviews, I guess). The suggestions?

1. New Studio. Now, if not Sooner.
2. A Little More Conversation on “On the Fly”
3. More Inside Info

That's all I have for now, check back tomorrow.